Division Leaders Face Off In Key Sun Belt Series

THE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday-Sunday, April 7-9, 2017
Location: Conway, S.C.
Site: Springs Brooks Stadium (5,400)
Times: 5:00 p.m. CT (Fri) | 1:00 p.m. CT (Sat) | 10:00 a.m. CT (Sun)
Opponent: Coastal Carolina (19-10, 7-2 Sun Belt)
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM (Fri), News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM (Sat-Sun)
Television: None
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: LHP Gunner Leger (LA) vs. RHP Alex Cunningham (CCU)
Saturday: RHP Nick Lee (LA) vs. RHP Jason Bilous (CCU)
Sunday: LHP Hogan Harris (LA) vs. RHP Zack Hopeck (CCU)

CONWAY, S.C. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team is set to face the defending national champion No. 26 Coastal Carolina in a three-game series that pits the two division leaders in the Sun Belt Conference against each other starting Friday night at 5 p.m. CT at Springs Brooks Stadium.

Game two of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, while the series finale was bumped up to a 10 a.m. CT start due to travel.

Friday's contest will be broadcast live on ESPN 1420-AM with Jay Walker and Jeff Schneider on the call. Fans can catch the final two games of the series on News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM. Live stats and video are available on RaginCajuns.com.

The Ragin' Cajuns (17-12, 6-3 Sun Belt) are coming off of a four-game homestand that saw the team go 3-1 and move into a tie atop the western division with Texas State. The Cajuns have won all six weekend series this season and 15 straight overall dating back to the 2016 season including 11 Sun Belt Conference series.

Louisiana ranks first in the league in pitching and fielding, and are fourth in hitting. The Cajuns rank second nationally behind Oregon State in hits allowed per nine innings limiting opponents to an average of 6.6 per game.

Junior left-hander Gunner Leger (5-1, 1.27 ERA) has won five of his last six starts as he will take the mound Friday for the Ragin' Cajuns. Leger will square off against the two-time reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week in senior right-hander Alex Cunningham (4-0, 1.97 ERA). Cunningham has tossed complete- game shutouts in back-to-back outings against Georgia State and Arkansas State.

Sophomore right-hander Nick Lee (4-3, 4.93 ERA) will look to end a string of three straight losses on the mound in his start on Saturday, while sophomore left-hander Hogan Harris (3-0, 1.37 ERA) will make the start on Sunday. Harris has notched a victory in three of his last four starts and has allowed only four earned runs in 25 innings since being named a starter for the Cajuns.

The Chants (19-10, 7-2 Sun Belt) have tabbed sophomore right-hander Jason Bilous (3-0,4.72 ERA) to make the start on Saturday, while junior right-hander Zack Hopeck (2-2, 4.20 ERA) will close out the weekend on the mound for CCU.

Louisiana comes into the series hitting .276 as a team led by senior Ishmael Edwards with a .333 average, five doubles, four triples, three home runs and 17 RBI. Edwards ranks 11th in the nation in triples and has driven in seven runs in the last two games, while junior Steven Sensley has raised his average up to .330 on the season with five doubles, two triples, two homers and a team-best 19 RBI.

This is the first ever meeting between the two programs with Coastal Carolina in their first year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

The Chanticleers are the east division leaders and have won four straight games coming into the series including a sweep at Georgia State last weekend. CCU had its only other game scheduled for the week at The Citadel canceled due to weather on Wednesday. Coastal Carolina has won six straight games in league play after losing two of three at Texas State to open the SBC slate.

The Chanticleers are hitting .269 as a club with 37 doubles, five triples and a league-best 41 home runs. Junior Billy Cook paces the team offensively with a .337 average, five doubles, a triple, five homers and 19 RBI. Junior Kevin Woodall Jr. ranks tenth in the nation and leads the Sun Belt with 10 home runs on the year. Woodall also leads the SBC in RBI with 29 despite hitting .259 on the season.

For the latest updates on Ragin' Cajuns baseball, follow Ragin' Cajuns baseball on Facebook (RaginCajunsBaseball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsBSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsBSB) or check RaginCajuns.com.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Division Leaders Face Off In Key Sun Belt Series

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Players Mentioned

Ishmael Edwards

Hogan Harris

Nick Lee

Gunner Leger

Steven Sensley

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